da supremo： Salman Butt spent the entire third day of the spot-fixing hearings in Doha being examined first by his own lawyer before facing what has been described as “a tough” cross-examination by the ICC’s legal team
Osman Samiuddin in Doha08-Jan-2011
Despite the ‘tough’ say, Salman Butt looked considerably more relaxed than previous days•Associated Press
Salman Butt, the former Pakistan captain, spent the entire third day ofthe spot-fixing hearings in Doha being examined first by his ownlawyer before facing what has been described as “a tough”cross-examination by the ICC’s legal team.Butt is facing charges of spot-fixing during the Lord’s Test betweenPakistan and England last summer along with bowlers Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir, the trio alleged to have bowled deliberate, pre-planned no-balls.Butt was Test captain at the time and he has since maintained hisinnocence publicly and more aggressively than the other two players. Inseveral interviews on TV and elsewhere, he has explained the presence ofthe money found in his hotel room after the scandal broke in the , as well as his relationship with Mazhar Majeed, theplayer-agent caught on camera claiming he could orchestrate spot-fixingwithin the side.The fact that he spent the whole day being examined indicates thesignificance of his role in the proceedings and the part it may play inthe final outcome. One observer said the cross-questioning “had been atough one, though that is something they would have expected.” It alsoincreases the chances, with Asif and Amir still to present theirdefence and be cross-examined, of the hearing lasting its fullscheduled duration till January 11.On Friday the ICC had heard from their witnesses, including Shahid Afridi, Waqar Younis and Mazhar Mahmood, the NOTW investigative reporter responsible for the initial story. The hearings also heard from KhawajaNajam, who was the team’s security manager during the World Twenty20 and theEngland tour, but has since stepped down from the post. In a recentlyleaked report of statements Najam made to ICC investigators, details were revealed of the money and currency found in theplayers’ rooms immediately after the Lord’s Test.Much of the questioning of the Pakistani witnesses on the second day ofthe hearing had been to simply confirm or deny events and statements theyhad already made, with little “beating about the bush” about surroundingspeculation. At least one of the witnesses believes that leaves littlescope for doubt to be created and suggests that the situation doesn’taugur particularly well for the trio.It isn’t clear yet whether Butt’s cross-examination will continue on thefourth day or who is to follow him on the stand. The order of appearancehas been pre-decided by the tribunal.The day didn’t appear to have visibly affected Butt. He walked out at theend with his lawyer Yasin Patel looking considerably more relaxed than onprevious days, engaged in what appeared to be a discussion with Patelabout Imran Khan and Dennis Lillee.